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East of LA, in the middle of nowhere, we were shooting a Frosted Mini-Wheats® commercial. The star was an animated Mini-Wheat character, who had a dual personality. There was Sweets, which corresponded with the sugar frosted side of the Mini-Wheat cereal, and Wheats, which corresponded to the unfrosted side. In a strange way, the dual personality of Sweets and Wheats reminds me of the dual nature of Christ, God and Man. I know, it’s weird, but it works!
In the commercial, Sweets and Wheats rode with this group of live action bikers, whose leader is Bubba. While sitting at a diner, Sweets and Wheats keep begging Bubba to tell them which side of the cereal he likes best. Frosted, or unfrosted? Bubba loves them both and can’t decide between them (this reminds me more of movie night at home).
The bikers in this commercial were, for the most part, played by real bikers. Bubba was played by Brad Lesley, a former major league pitcher nicknamed ‘The Animal.’ He was 6’6”, 230 pounds, and physically fit. I would not have liked to walk towards home plate and see him on the pitcher’s mound!
Again, my job was to
- Monitor live action shots
- Record camera info
- So we could insert digital effects into scenes during post-production
Which meant I had to be near the camera, director, Brad, and a lot of the bikers.
In one scene, Bubba’s line was: “You’re confusing me man, like I can’t choose!” The director was not happy with Brad’s delivery, and we began to film multiple takes. We burned through hundreds of feet of 35mm film, and even had to swap out for a new film magazine at one point! We were still trying to capture the take that met with the director’s approval.
After awhile, it looked like the ‘Animal’ in Brad was starting to waken. There I was, next to a 230 pound professional athlete who was morphing from frustrated to angry! At that point I was starting to plan my escape route. But, Brad was a professional. He took a moment, focused, and delivered the line to the director’s liking (finally!).
As we worked throughout the day, I chatted and ate lunch with Brad and some of the bikers. They were exceptionally warm and courteous to me. The thing I remember most from that film shoot, over a decade ago, was that line. Brad’s voice saying “You’re confusing me man, like I can’t choose!” Repeating the line for all those takes made sure the phrase was hammered permanently into my memory.
Dr. John Medina’s Brain Rule: “Repeat to remember,” fits perfectly with this scenario.
(Although in this case, the intensity of the event, and planning an escape route, could have also played a role).
John sites a statistic that people usually forget 90% of what they learn in a class within 30 days, and in fact the majority of the forgetting occurs within the first few hours after the class.2 I know, doesn’t really help when it comes to test time.
Did Jesus use repetition? Yep! Look at Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:22-23, and Matthew 20:17-19 (all Bible verses are in ESV).
“From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” Matthew 16:21
“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.” Matthew 17:22-23
And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Matthew 20:17-19
Chapter after chapter, Jesus told His disciples that he was going to die. But then He would be resurrected. Jesus wanted them to remember this, so He repeatedly told the disciples what lied ahead.
In the Bible study groups and classes I lead, we use a two-fold repetition. The first set of repetitions is that an individual reads the same passage of Scripture three times throughout the week. The second set of repetitions occurs when we meet up at the end of the week, and share insights on our individual studies. This repetition set has the added benefit of providing a greater perspective on a particular context. The discussion also helps people in the group retain information.
Remember Romans 12:2. We’re to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. By returning to Scripture over and over again, we:
- Keep it fresh in our memories
- Enhance our understanding of it
Reading the Bible will cause us to morph towards Christ. Enable us to discern God’s intentions and God’s will.
So when we engage with culture we affect it with a Christ-centered world-view, and Christ-centered discernment.
Sources:
- Frosted Mini-Wheats, Television Commercial by Will Vinton Studios. Small portion used. See Use Rational Notes. From personal work January 2001.
- Medina, John J. 2008, Brain rules, 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, Page 100. Seattle, Washington: Pear Press.